Hans Waldmann (fighter pilot)

Infobox Military Person
name=Hans Waldmann
born=birth date|1922|9|24|df=y
died=death date and age|1945|3|18|1922|9|24|df=y
placeofbirth=Braunschweig
placeofdeath= near Schwarzenbek, Holstein


caption=Hans Waldmann
nickname=Dackel
allegiance=flagicon|Nazi Germany Nazi Germany
serviceyears=1940-1945
rank=Oberleutnant
branch=
commands=3./JG 7, 4./JG 52
unit=JG 3, JG 7, JG 52
battles=World War II
*Operation Barbarossa
awards="Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross"
laterwork=

Hans "Dackel" Waldmann (born 24 September 1922 in Braunschweig, killed in flying accident 18 March 1945 near Schwarzenbek, Holstein) was a German former Luftwaffe fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

World War II

Hans Waldmann voluntarily joined the Luftwaffe in 1940. On 21 August 1942 Unteroffizier Waldmann was assigned to the 6./JG 52 on the Eastern front.

On 9 September 1942 Waldmann scored his first aerial victory. Waldmann managed to score quickly. After 84 victories on 1 September 1943, Waldmann was promoted to Leutnant and assigned to ErgGr. Ost. Here he shot down one B-17 Flying Fortress.

He received the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross after his 85th aerial victory. End of February 1944 he took command of 4./JG 52 as Staffelkapitän. He was able to continue his success strain and claimed victories 98 to 125 by the end of 31 May 1944.

In June 1944 his entire squad was reassigned to 8./JG 3, now fighting against the allied invasion forces. In August he shot down seven enemy planes, including one B-24 and five P-47 Thunderbolts. In December 1944 he converted to the Messerschmitt Me 262. His entire squad was transferred to 3./JG 7 now flying now the ’’Stormbird’’. On 22 February 1945 he shot down two P-51 Mustang.

Climbing in dense fog on 18 March 1945, he collided with his wingman, Leutnant Hans-Dieter Weihs, and crashed near Schwarzenbek south of Hamburg. He was killed in his Messerschmitt Me 262 A-1 "Yellow 3 Wk. no. 170097"! Waldmann was recommended for the Oak Leaves to the Knight's Cross, but the recommendation was not finalized before the end of the war. Geschwaderkommodore Theodor Weissenberger then handed over command of 3./JG 7 to Oberleutnant Walter Schuck.

Hans Waldmann flew 527 combat missions. He was credited with 134 aerial victories, 10 on the Western front and 124 on the Eastern front. His tally on the Eastern front includes 5 bombers, 87 fighters and 32 Il-2 Sturmovik ground-attack aircraft. On the Western front he claimed 8 fighters and 2 four-engined bombers. He also flew a number of ground attack missions destroying 33 various vehicles and 8 heavy transports.

Awards

* Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (10 March 1943)
* German Cross in Gold (17 April 1943)
* Iron Cross 2. and 1. class
* Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (5 February 1944)

Hans Waldmann may have been awarded a posthumous Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves. Oberst Nicolaus von Below processed such a request between 20 April 1945 and 2 May 1945. However no official proof exists. [Fellgiebel 2000, p. 108.]

References

* Fellgiebel, Walther-Peer. "Die Träger des Ritterkreuzes des Eisernen Kreuzes 1939-1945". Friedburg, Germany: Podzun-Pallas, 2000. ISBN 3-7909-0284-5.
* Patzwall, Klaus D. and Scherzer, Veit. "Das Deutsche Kreuz 1941 - 1945 Geschichte und Inhaber Band II". Norderstedt, Germany: Verlag Klaus D. Patzwall, 2001. ISBN 3-931533-45-X.

External links

* [http://rafiger.de/Homepage/RaFiGer/Bf-109/JG52-Waldmann/JG52-WaldmannInfo.htm Hans Waldmann @ RaFiGer’s]
* [http://www.luftfahrtspuren.de/kaki.htm Flugplatz Kaltenkirchen]